Maximus James
Maximus Andrew James was born on January 22, 2061 to Matthew and Erin James. He has an older brother, Tyler James, who attended Durmstrang Institute. He started his first year at Hogwarts in September 2072 and sorted into Ravenclaw. He graduated with the class of 2079 and is currently the starting Keeper for the Appleby Arrows. Personality and Interests Personality-wise, Max hasn't changed all that much since his first year at Hogwarts. He has always been a sweetheart and naturally quiet, though he has learned to be more talkative with new people over the years. He has a big heart and wants to help everyone all the time. He is an excellent motivator and encourager; he will smother any given person with love and praise, if they let him. As he enjoys living in a world of peace, harmony, and love, conflict is not something he knows how to deal with efficiently. He crumbles when he manages to let someone down, though he does try not to worry too much about what people think of him. Max enjoys reading and studying in his free time. He's surely not the smartest Ravenclaw as he tends to bore easily over miniscule details, but he enjoys learning and discovering new ideas and concepts. When he's not living in a world of books, Max can be found meandering the grounds. He has a passion for most Hogwarts subjects, but he absolutely cannot tolerate Arithmancy, Divination, or Ancient Runes. (Seriously, he's a nerd - he LOVES the remaining nine classes.) He has a natural knack for Magical Creatures and Flying, though, thanks to the influence of his parents. He wants to learn about EVERYTHING, whether it be wizarding or Muggle-related. History Pre-Life and Early Life Born on the 22nd of January in 2061, Maximus Andrew James was born into a pureblood Wizarding family. He has a Magizoologist father, Matthew James; a professional Quidditch player mother, Erin James (nee Andrews); and a brother, Tyler James (b. December 13, 2059). His father was a former Gryffindor and his mother a former Hufflepuff. His parents met during Matthew's third year and Erin's second year. They started out as content friends; he showed her around the Magical Creatures Sanctuary, she encouraged his passion for the creatures, and he supported her at every Quidditch match - even the Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff matches. They began to date during his sixth year, her fifth year. At the end of his seventh year in 2057, Matthew was sad to depart from his girlfriend, but like any couple might, they did everything the could to stay in touch. Over the following year, they kept contact via owl and saw each other over the holidays. When Erin graduated from Hogwarts in 2058, she and Matthew were so eager to be together that Erin moved in with him. On the first of January in 2059, they decided to marry on holiday in Paris. In December 2059, Tyler James was born. On January 22, 2061, Max was born. Max grew up in a home environment filled with Magical Creatures, thanks to his father. Matthew James was rather distant, finding his variety of creatures to be far more interesting than Max many days. Unfortunately, his mother Erin James was absent quite often as well, traveling with the Appleby Arrows as a starting Chaser since 2066. Despite his parents' extreme interests in their professions, Max enjoyed the time he had with them - and they seemed to enjoy the time they spent with him as well. He didn't complain; he was happy for the time he had with them and, as he found both of their professions to be fascinating, he understood their passions and didn't hold their absences against them. Pre-Hogwarts Years As Max grew older, his older brother Tyler James grew more snarky and ridiculing. The two boys went from playing nicely together in their younger years to Tyler criticizing Max's so-called "nerdiness" on a regular basis by the time Max was eight. He was hurt and confused by his brother's personality change, but Max stuck to what he loved - his "nerdiness." Luckily, by the time Max was ten, Tyler went off to Durmstrang Institute - he refused the idea of Hogwarts - so he only had to endure a couple years of his brother's antics(through which he survived by taking refuge in his constant friend: books, the ultimate soul-soother). When Max received his Hogwarts letter, he had been waiting at the windowsill with his father as Tyler was at Durmstrang and his mother was with the Arrows. His father immediately went on a spiel about how his academics were going to be incredibly important, and how he should get into the mindset of earning at least ten OWLS now so that he would set himself up to succeed. Max, who didn't appreciate a lecture about something he loved most, school, agreed to at least ten OWLs as to not upset his father. The next time his mother stopped home, she talked to him about joining a Quidditch team. Max wasn't so sure - he had no confidence in himself, surely not enough to go out for the Quidditch team during his first term. Clearly disappointed, his mother dropped the subject for the time being. Max and his parents discussed his possible houses - Erin saw him as a Hufflepuff, Matthew saw him as a Ravenclaw(though he was clearly disappointed that Max lacked typical Gryffindor traits). Ultimately, Max told them he was just going to let the hat decide, as he had no opinion one way or the other. His parents convinced him to roam Diagon Alley on his own for the first time - they had been there many times before, but Max had never been on his own. He made his way through the street, getting bumped around by passers-by, and fortunately had soon-to-be seventh year Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain Nia Newtington take him under her wing. She helped him pick up all the supplies he needed for his first term at Hogwarts. While inside Flourish and Blotts, Max met soon-to-be second year Ravenclaw Ellie Stone. He found her to be strikingly beautiful and knew he wanted to be friends with her. Now that he had easily made two Ravenclaw friends, he felt that Ravenclaw was the house for him. Hogwarts First Year (2072-2073) From the sorting hat: "Ahhh, Maximus James... your father a Gryffindor... mother a Hufflepuff, of course... you have a mind much more like your mother's... ooooh, yes... quite a timid one, aren't you?... kind and compassionate... humble... so very humble... a desire to change the world, have you?... but you doubt your leadership abilities... ahh... and so much wisdom... astounding wisdom... a love for learning... perhaps a Ravenclaw?... but so much love and loyalty... oh yes, definitely the heart of a Hufflepuff... a very patient mind... but your impeccable wisdom is far beyond your years... you have quite a... unique way of thinking... very bright, a lot of potential, there's no doubt about that... mmmmmmmm... so where to put you?... ahhhh, Ravenclaw, you say?... because of'' friends'' you made already, I see?... ahh... valuing friendship... an impressive abundance of loyalty... Hufflepuff would love to have you... no?... you're sure?... you would be one of their finest additions, I assure you... yes, I see very clearly where you belong... let it be... RAVENCLAW!" When Max had his scary experience in front of the school with the Sorting Hat, the hat had trouble deciding between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Somewhere just after the four-minute mark, Max pleaded for placement into Ravenclaw; the Sorting Hat agreed to Max's wish just under five minutes after the hat had been placed upon his head, and he hurried to join his table, making sure to give big smiles down to the table to his Diagon Alley friends Nia Newtington and Ellie Stone. Fortunately for Max, the Triwizard Tournament was held this term, so he could not have disappointed his mother by not trying out for the Quidditch team. On the down side, however, Max was dismayed for Nia because she wouldn't get to play Quidditch during her last term at Hogwarts. Max spent his first few months at Hogwarts completely overwhelmed with fascination - and intimidation. He often found himself wishing all the big kids would go away so he could explore the school without them commenting on how "cute" he was in passing. (He was chubby, small, and blushed every time someone addressed him - the epitome of cute. While studying in the common room, Max took great interest in Ellie Stone's upbeat personality and curious ways. One day, she noticed him and asked him to play chess with her. Despite his thirst for knowledge, Max wasn't entirely sure how to play - and neither was she, it seemed. They resorted to enjoying each other's company, much to Max's delight, until fellow Ravenclaw Eli Jarod interrupted. The older Ravenclaw boy made it very clear that Ellie was his - or something like that - and scared Max away. He only talked to Ellie in passing for the remainder of the term, anxious that he would be sought out by Eli for talking to Eli's girlfriend, or so Max thought. Second Year (2073-2074) Now completely acquainted with the school and its wonders, Max embraced his studies as his best friend. After losing his closest friend Nia through graduation, Max tried spending more time with his classmates. Though he was not afraid to talk to Ellie this term(upon realizing that Eli was harmless), their friendship took smaller steps, but Max mostly kept to himself for this term. He found friends in small study groups and those sitting nearest to him in classes. He attended every Quidditch match religiously and took a great interest in those on the Ravenclaw team. He aspired to be like them some day. He excelled nicely in Flying classes, but held back from his full potential out of insecurity. His mom had taught him well; he knew plenty about good flying. But there was no way he was going to potentially make a fool out of himself in front of the whole school like that. No way. Max took a greater liking to subjects such as Charms and Astronomy this term. He spent a lot of his time looking up every fun charm he could as well as all the fun Astronomy facts he could. (He had high hopes to impress a girl with those some day.) Third Year (2074-2075) Max first became overwhelmed with his school work during his third term at Hogwarts. He found it difficult to balance all of his primary loves - Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, and Muggle Studies. Fortunately, he did learn that he abhorred Divination, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy; however, this did not factor well into his father's wishes for his ten OWLs. Despite being nervous over the possibility of disappointing his father, Max did not tell his father that his wishes would not come true just because Max couldn't find it in his heart to love one more subject. His interest in Quidditch also spiked this term. As his friendship continued to grow with Ellie Stone, her influence rubbed off on him. He was SO proud of his good friend for being Ravenclaw's seeker, but after a tough loss, his heart broke for her. After the match, he tried his best to cheer her up by conjuring a beautiful bouquet of flowers for her. It worked, it seemed, and Max realized he had a best friend outside of his books and Magical Creatures. By the end of the term, Max was seriously contemplating the idea of attending Ravenclaw Quidditch tryouts next term. He not only longed to have that kind of fun with his newfound best friend, but he also began to wonder if he could do it. He knew he had talent, but would he be good enough to make the team? He wasn't sure, nor did he discuss his thoughts with anyone. But for Max to even be'' considering'' jumping so far out of his comfort zone was a massive deal. Good for you, Max. Fourth Year (2075-2076) He did it! Not only did Max hit a growth spurt and shed some pounds over the summer, he managed to express his thoughts of joining the Quidditch team to his best friend - and the new Quidditch Captain - Ellie Stone! She convinced him to give it a try. It couldn't hurt, right? As it turned out, Max was an impressive Keeper. He did so well, in fact, that Quidditch even managed to take priority over his studies. In their first match against Hufflepuff, he only let one quaffle past him. While he was elated, he realized his disconnection from his favorite classes and geared his attention back toward his studies. In their next game against Gryffindor, he let TWO goals pass him. That was no good, in his mind, so he worked harder at making Quidditch a bigger priority once again. As a result, in Ravenclaw's final match of the term against Hufflepuff, Max only let one quaffle pass him. He was PROUD, and had the honor of being number one on the leaderboard for most goals saved for the term. He was the best Keeper in the school! He was very outwardly modest, but on the inside, that kind of glory filled up every hole of emptiness his previous insecurity had left in his heart. Though the Quidditch rocked his world, Max's friendship with Ellie grew to be awkward, at least from his standpoint. Max and Ellie had good times on the Quidditch pitch, but Ellie's relationship with Treyen Lockhart made Max especially uncomfortable. Even though Ellie was oblivious, Max had been crushing on Ellie since his first term at Hogwarts. Treyen was a big bad Hufflepuff Prefect - how could Max compete with that? Max felt as though he needed to tread lightly in how he acted around Ellie so that Treyen wouldn't think he was trying to "steal" Ellie from him in any way. Luckily, no such accusations were ever made. For this term, Max was voted "Most Likely to Play Professional Quidditch" in the yearbook superlatives. Fifth Year (2076-2077) Under construction Sixth Year (2077-2078) Under construction Seventh Year (2078-2079) Max had a good term. A really good term. He got his first girlfriend (Emmaleigh Swynford) and first kiss from her. It was as close to "love at first sight" as he could ever believe. He made the Quidditch team again, no surprise there, and sub-captained in two of Ravenclaw's four games, playing Keeper in all of them, and earned the school's Top Keeper spot. He joined the Gobstones Club for the first time this term, earning "Player of the Match" for one of Ravenclaw's three showdowns. Aside from Em and the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, Max spent a lot of time with his Ravenclaw yearmates Louisa Carter, Genevieve Branxton (who was also on the team), and Vincenzo Vanderbilt. He broke his own goal of reaching 400 house points by earning 409 points, making Ravenclaw's top five of point-earners. At the end-of-the-year Quidditch Cup party, Max was scouted by the Appleby Arrows and ended up accepting their offer, putting off his plans to become a professor for awhile. A lot of other stuff happened. A lot of cool stuff. This was his most fun term so there's a lot of exciting details to add. We'll edit this more later. For this term, Max won the "Mr. Hogwarts" and "7th Year Legacy" superlatives as well as "Cutest Couple" with Emmaleigh Swynford in the yearbook. Quidditch at Hogwarts Ravenclaw Quidditch 2075-2076 Ravenclaw Team: Seeker Ellie Stone (HaRoHeGiNeLu) Keeper Maximus James (Grangerfn1) Chaser Vashti Greenwell (AlwaysSnapesGirl) Chaser Jasmina Bennett (DH Vixen) Chaser Hugo Doyle (neaped) Beater Spike Hutchinson (hermygirl) Beater Hateya Stern (Ashwinder) Reserves: Indiana Hutchinson (RachieRu) Eino Uronen (Starbreeze) Beatrice Castell (tomewitch) Luna Kieren (Orla) Game Results Hufflepuff vs Ravenclaw - Hufflepuff wins (150-80) (Max blocks 7 shots) Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw - Ravenclaw wins (210-0) (Max blocks 3 shots) Hufflepuff vs Ravenclaw - Hufflepuff wins (150-40) (Max blocks 4 shots) Quidditch Leaderboard - Blocked Shots 1. Maximus James ® - 14 2. Victoria Bunbury (S) - 9 3. Treyen Lockhart (H) - 7 4t. Renesmee Dixon (H) - 1 4t. Rafe Lycaon (G) - 1 4t. Carter Phillips (G) - 1 Team Standings: 1. Slytherin (3-0) 2. Hufflepuff (2-2) 3. Ravenclaw (1-2) 4. Gryffindor (0-2) Ravenclaw Quidditch 2076-2077 Ravenclaw Team: Seeker Ellie Stone (HaRoHeGiNeLu) Keeper Maximus James (Grangerfn1) Chaser Vashti Greenwell (AlwaysSnapesGirl) Chaser Beatrice Castell (tomewitch) Chaser Hugo Doyle (neaped) Beater Indiana Hutchinson (RachieRu) Beater Travis Gordon (Walrus) Reserves: Lana Hyde (DH Vixen) Harvey Watson (EW FAN) Taylor McIntyre (Cassandra) Luna Kieren (Orla) Game Results Slytherin vs Ravenclaw - Ravenclaw wins (175-30) (Max blocks 3 shots) Hufflepuff vs Ravenclaw - Hufflepuff wins (180-40) (Max blocks 5 shots) Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw - Ravenclaw wins (195-10) (Max blocks 4 shots) Hufflepuff vs Ravenclaw - Hufflepuff wins (170-20) (Max didn't play; he was in the hospital wing) Quidditch Leaderboard - Blocked Shots 1. Keefer Marius (H) - 13 2. Maximus James ® - 12 3. Kimalia Fanster (S) - 8 4t. August Goldstein (G) - 4 4t. Vashti Greenwell ® - 4 Team Standings: 1. Hufflepuff (3-0) 2. Ravenclaw (2-2) 3. Gryffindor (1-2) 4. Slytherin (0-2) Ravenclaw Quidditch 2077-2078 Max initially tried out for the Quidditch team, but the night before the captain (Ellie) posted the roster, he told her he decided he needed a break from Quidditch for a term. After his meltdown before the Championship match in the previous term that landed him in the hospital wing, causing him to miss the game, he realized he needed a term to breathe and establish a state of contentment away from his identity in Quidditch. Max attended every Ravenclaw match as a happy supporter of his former teammates, housemates, and of course his best friend, the Seeker and Captain Ellie Stone. He wore an eagle mascot costume in the stands, both to give those on the team a chuckle and to encourage Ravenclaw spirit in the stands. It was quite a bit out of his comfort zone to do so, but he needed some way to cope with not taking his usual place of guarding the goal posts. It was also a fun way rile up the Ravenclaw support section; he did his best to start up cheers(and annoy the supporters of the opposing team). Let's be honest: he was surprised he was never asked to take it off by a professor. Ravenclaw won the Quidditch Cup! Max flapped his wings victoriously all the way up to Ravenclaw's championship party in the common room to celebrate with his winning housemates. Ravenclaw Quidditch 2078-2079 Ravenclaw Team: Seeker Aidan Stone (HaRoHeGiNeLu) Keeper Maximus James (Grangerfn1) Chaser Milton Shacklebolt (sarahlooo) Chaser Beatrice Castell (tomewitch) Chaser Dustin Ashby (cake.ninjak) Beater Genevieve Branxton (Cassirin) Beater Travis Gordon (Walrus) Reserves: Taylor McIntyre (Cassandra) Blue Gracae (Lollipop!) Elise Fairfield (iceblossom22) Spike Hutchinson (hermygirl) Game Results Hufflepuff vs Ravenclaw - Hufflepuff wins (130-130) (Max blocks 6 shots) Slytherin vs Ravenclaw - Ravenclaw wins (160-15) (Max blocks 2 shots) Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw - Ravenclaw wins (205-60) (Max blocks 5 shots) Hufflepuff vs Ravenclaw - Hufflepuff wins (140-30) (Max blocks 3 shots) Quidditch Leaderboard - Blocked Shots 1. Maximus James ® - 16 2. Logan Manchini (H) - 13 3. Dylan Montmorency (S) - 5 4. Anya Phillips (G) - 4 5. Melanie Sung (G) - 2 Team Standings: 1. Hufflepuff (3-0) 2. Ravenclaw (2-2) 3. Gryffindor (1-2) 4. Slytherin (0-2) Relationships Under construction Family Matthew James Thanks to Matthew James, Max grew up in a home environment filled with Magical Creatures. Matthew was rather distant, finding his variety of creatures to be far more interesting than Max many days. When Max received his Hogwarts letter, his father immediately went on a spiel about how his academics were going to be incredibly important, and how he should get into the mindset of earning at least ten OWLs now so that he would set himself up to succeed. Max, who didn't appreciate a lecture about something he loved most - school - agreed to at least ten OWLs as to not upset his father. Matthew figured Max would be a Ravenclaw, though he was clearly disappointed that Max lacked typical Gryffindor traits. When Max did NOT earn ten OWLs, Max stood up to Matthew and told him he did the best he could and he was proud of himself, if his father wouldn't be. Realizing how much unnecessary pressure he had put on his son, Matthew managed an apology to his son. The two are on fairly good terms. Erin James Erin James was absent quite often throughout Max's childhood, traveling with the Appleby Arrows as a starting Chaser since 2066. She pegged him as a Hufflepuff, taking after her, and talked to him about joining a Quidditch team before he went off to school. Max wasn't so sure - he had no confidence in himself, surely not enough to go out for the Quidditch team during his first term. Clearly disappointed, his mother dropped the subject for the time being. When he joined the Quidditch team during his fourth term, he didn't tell his mother right away; she found out over the Christmas holidays and gave Max a long, proud, teary congratulatory hug. Until the end of Max's Hogwarts years, Erin wrote to Max often, exchanging Quidditch tales with her son and brought him to practices when he was on holiday. Her past with the Arrows and his visits with the team influenced a scout from the Arrows to seek him out at his last match at Hogwarts. Presently, Erin is the Manager for the Appleby Arrows and finally gets to spend ample amounts of time with her son throughout the year. Tyler James Tyler and Max are, unfortunately, not full of brotherly love. When Max was young, the two were buds - as the years went by, that friendship died and Tyler became snobbish, rude, and annoyed with Max and his desire to spend his time reading. He was hurt and confused by his brother's personality change, but Max stuck to what he loved - his "nerdiness." Luckily, by the time Max was ten, Tyler went off to Durmstrang Institute - he refused the idea of Hogwarts - so he only had to endure a couple years of his brother's antics(through which he survived by taking refuge in his constant friend: books, the ultimate soul-soother). Presently, Tyler is studying to be a dragonologist at Wizarding University in Romania. Sophie Brown Max's favorite cousin. Sophie is the daughter of Olivia Brown, sister of Matthew James and thereby the cousin of Max. Though she is significantly younger than him, the two have always been inseparable at family gatherings; she's the little sister he never had and only gets to see a few times per year. Though Sophie has never really been intensely into Quidditch, Max appreciates that Sophie will seemingly support her cousin until the end of time. His aunt even told him that Sophie cried proud tears when he got scouted by the Arrows. Friends Ellie Stone Spike Hutchinson Indiana Hutchinson Vashti Amstern Ella Bishop Aidan Stone Louisa Carter Genevieve Branxton, HIS GIRLFRIEND. Dylan Montmorency Category:Characters Category:Ravenclaw Category:Class of 2079 Category:Pureblood Category:Quidditch Category:Professional Quidditch Category:Alumni Category:Appleby Arrows Category:Professional Quidditch Player